The Delta King Now an elegant hotel and restaurant, the Delta King is an original Sacramento River vessel from the early days of the area. Her sister ship, the Delta Queen, now plies the waters of the Mississippi.

Sacramento’s Gateway The Tower Bridge, a lift span which was built in 1935, started out painted gray but has been yellow since 1960. It originally had railroad tracks down the center for an electric railway system that ran throughout Sacramento proper. This system no longer exists but we both remember it from our childhoods. The new metallic gold paint symbolizes the Gold Rush hub that was Sacramento in 1849. The Tower Bridge, the gateway to downtown Sacramento, is our parting view as it frames the waterfront docks and the Delta King as we pass beyond. What a lovely sunny day for a departure!

We wave to the passengers aboard the Spirit of Sacramento, a small river tour boat, as they snap photos of us. She and an even smaller tour boat, the Matthew McKinley, met as they travelled in opposite directions downriver of us. We heard them on the radio from around the bend before we sighted them. We slowed and waited for a wider place with no other small boat traffic (there were lots of salmon fisherman out in their little boats) before we hailed her and requested passage.

Bascule bridges too...

This site, copy and photographs copyright Nina Courtney.